The National Air and Space Museum commemorates the history of flight and educates and inspires people through its collections, exhibitions, research, and programs related to aviation, space flight, and planetary studies.

HIGHLIGHTED TOPIC:

Rocket Motor, Liquid Fuel, XLR-1, Cutaway

This is a cutaway of an experimental attempt by the U.S. Army's Picatinny Arsenal, Dover, NJ, to produce a simple, gas pressurant-fed liquid propellant (possibly storable) rocket motor for a small caliber air-to-air missile. A gas generator drives a piston, forcing propellants into the combustion chamber. The chamber painted red in its interior appears to have stored the oxidizer while the chamber painted green was probably stored the fuel. The pale green small chamber was the combustion chamber, which also includes a built-in nozzle at its rear. The small chamber at the front of the motor contained the gas pressurant composition, apparently simulated by the area painted in black. The missile has four fold-out fins at the rear.

The U.S. Army Picatinny Arsenal transferred this rocket motor cutaway to the Museum in 1968.

This is a cutaway of an experimental attempt by the U.S. Army's Picatinny Arsenal, Dover, NJ, to produce a simple, gas pressurant-fed liquid propellant (possibly storable) rocket motor for a small caliber air-to-air missile. A gas generator drives a piston, forcing propellants into the combustion chamber. The chamber painted red in its interior appears to have stored the oxidizer while the chamber painted green was probably stored the fuel. The pale green small chamber was the combustion chamber, which also includes a built-in nozzle at its rear. The small chamber at the front of the motor contained the gas pressurant composition, apparently simulated by the area painted in black. The missile has four fold-out fins at the rear.

The U.S. Army Picatinny Arsenal transferred this rocket motor cutaway to the Museum in 1968.